Jesus is Not a Resource

Blog by Alan Fadling

Most of us would say we want to follow Jesus. We want his presence, his guidance, his life at work in us. We long for a faith that is real and sustaining. And yet, beneath that sincere desire, another question can quietly hum along in our hearts: What will Jesus do for me? Without realizing it, we can drift from following Jesus to using Jesus—inviting him to serve our needs, bless our plans, and help us become the people we already want to be.

Eugene Peterson names this temptation with his usual clarity and honesty:

“The devil wants us to...follow Jesus but then use Jesus to fulfill needs, first our own and then the needs of all the hungry people around us. It is the temptation to deal with myself and others first and foremost as consumers. It is the temptation to define life in consumer terms and then devise plans and programs to accomplish them ‘in Jesus' name.’”*

That language is unsettling to me because it rings true. We live in a culture that trains us to think like consumers. We evaluate nearly everything by how well it meets our needs, fulfills our desires, or helps us achieve our goals. It should not surprise us that we sometimes bring those same instincts into our life with God.

But Peterson helps us see the quiet contradiction at the heart of this approach. We cannot follow Jesus and use Jesus. Following Jesus means surrendering to his purposes. Using Jesus keeps my purposes at the center. One path reshapes my desires. The other subtly reinforces them, even when those desires look generous or faithful on the surface.

Jesus never invites us to treat him as a means to an end. He does not offer himself as a spiritual resource to help us accomplish our own version of the good life. Even our most compassionate intentions can drift into this pattern—asking Jesus to support what we have already decided matters most. Instead, Jesus calls us to seek him first. And in that seeking, something truer begins to happen.

Our needs are met, but not always in the ways we expect. Not on our terms. And not in ways that leave us unchanged. Following Jesus gradually reorders what we believe we need in the first place. It loosens our grip on outcomes and teaches us to receive life as gift rather than demand.

If we are not consumers in the kingdom of God, then we are participants. We are followers, learners, apprentices. We receive life rather than manage it. We respond with trust instead of expectations. In God’s kingdom, we do not evaluate Jesus, measuring his usefulness to us. We walk humbly with him, attentive and receptive, learning a way of life that slowly teaches us what actually leads to freedom.

That posture may be one of the most important shifts of spiritual maturity. It is quieter than consumption. Slower than strategy. But it is the posture in which real transformation takes place.

For Reflection and Response:

• For a day or two, gently listen for the question that shapes your prayers. Without judgment, notice when your prayer leans toward “What will Jesus do for me?” When you catch it, don’t correct yourself. Simply acknowledge it, then add a quieter follow-up: “Jesus, what are you inviting me to receive or release right now?” Let that question linger without rushing toward an answer.

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*Eugene Peterson. The Jesus Way. Grand Rapids, WI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007, p. 30-31.